BodyMaps

Atlas

The vertebral column, or spinal column, is made up of a
total of 33 vertebrae, which are subdivided into five regions: cervical,
thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx. At the cervical region the spinal column
is further classified into an upper and lower cervical region. The atlas is one
of the two upper cervical vertebrae, also known as C1, which is the topmost
vertebra of the spinal column. It is the vertebra that is in contact with the
occipital bone, a flat bone located at the back portion of the head.

This first cervical bone is named from the mythical Greek
god who carried the world on his shoulders, as its function is to support the
globe of the head. Together with the second vertebra, the axis, it is
responsible for the wide range of motion of the head.

The atlas does not look like a typical vertebra, with
its ring-like structure and the absence of a body, which is actually fused to
the axis. Other anatomical landmarks on the atlas include the anterior arch and
tubercle, posterior arch and tubercle, vertebral notches, facets, and
transverse processes.

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